Finally: MY own Bushbaby Explorer

[Boet]

Refuelled first sparrows on Sunday morning, not knowing where I will head off to. Ahh, pay next-door neighbour, Kobus Nel in Niewoudtville a visit. Quick call to make sure he`s not gone walkabout. ( Die man het rooimiere in sy gat!) See u in about half an hour! I allways enjoy flying this route.

The "white band" is clearly visible, meandering all around all the little hills and valleys around my hometown. Clear to see it from up here. This white band is full of fossils, and also some natural gas. Some of the boreholes in and around town will burn if you are not carefull with the matches! The gas makes the water stink like rotten eggs. I recently met up with some geologists from the US of A, chipping stone, and no doubt rubbing their hands in glee, to start "Fracking" for natural gas. Told them to Frack off! We are totally dependant on borehole water, so......... don`t u come "frack' around with it!!

About 20km south of Loeriesfontein I fly over the Kokerboom woud. 1000`s of quiver trees growing here. This is the largest, most Southern quiver tree forest of this size on the African continent. Most of these trees are well over a hundred years old, surely some a couple of hundred years. In recent years the young Quiver trees has gained a monatary value of 4000 rand per meter in height. So the smuggling continiues. I hope that these magnificent plants does not eventually go the way of the Cycads!

About half-way to Niewoudtville I fly over Brandkop. That is where the TV series, "Die Manakwalanners" has been shot a number of years back. Some of the buildings have started to collapse. A pity really....

The waterfall gorge just outside Niewoudtville is a magnificent sight. After some recent rain, there is still some water dropping down about 200 feet, into a big water hole at the bottom. We used to go swimming down there when I was younger. Doubt if I will ever make it down again! Pity.

At Niewoudville International, I check the windpump for the wind direction.(No wind sock...) The 'strip" is a bit of an obstacle course. So opt for an (interesting) quartering stiff tailwind landing. Fortunately these Explorers are easy to fly aeries, and my arrival is not too undignified. Kobus is already there, busy servicing a Pipistrall motorglider. He is the SA importer and distributor of these lovely and efficient aeroplanes. We have a nice chat, about flying and the way forward for flying. It is nice to meet up with someone else sharing your own passion about flying.

"I have something for you here" says Kobus. "Let`s go look for it". He unwraps a long bundle, and `lo and behold, it is a 2 blade in flight adjustable, (AND full feathering) propellor. "For you" he says, and leaves me quite speechless. (If he was prettier, I would have kissed him!!!!) Thanks a million!! I notice his 912 engine lying seized up on a bench. The pressure sender unit popped whilst flying, and dumped all the oil overboard. Bad, very expensive noises resulted. So I donated a set of hardly used pistons for his engine. And the loan of some of my Rotax SST`s ( Special Service Tools, for those not in the know)

Isn`t this flying a wonderfull thing? Especially "With a little help from my friends"!!!!

Fly safe and enjoy.

[mic]

[KFA]

This is what these planes are for... Mooi Boet

[Boet]

Yesterday morning I went flyabout again. I decided to follow the Krom Rivier for some distance. I expected the river to be still flowing from the good rains of the day before, but all the water is gone, to the sea. What a waste.

The Prosopis Thorn trees looks happy today. As far as I can see the river, it is a mush geen ribbon of very green thorn trees, in stark contrast to the countryside the river flows through. Somewhere in the 40`s or 50`s the seeds of these Prosopis trees were distributed amongst farmers to plant in this semi-arid desert like countryside, for fodder, leaves, seed pods and shade. Now it has become a HUGE problem, and what seemed like a good idea then, is not so good anymore. The Prosopis has become a HUGE pest.

It was originally planted because it grows quick, the root system goes down deep, and it is a very hardy sort of tree, from Mexico. During late summer, early winter, it starts dropping it`s seed pods. High in nutrients, vitamins, fibre, even a bit of sugar. Just what sheep needs to thrive on. Then the problems started. The seed itself, INSIDE the pod, is as hard as a pebble, and the sheep can not crush it, so a Prosopis seed will go thru a sheep`s digestive track completely unscathed, and where the sheep "plants" it, it WILL grow.

Controlling these trees is difficult. The primary growth tree does have some thorns, but usually they are short, and not too much of a neiusance. BUT if you cut the tree down without making sure u kill it, within a couple of months the secondary growth becomes a thorny bush, that not even thick gloves will protect you from! And THAT is when the problems started.

If you cut these trees down, the cheapest way to kill it is by drilling a deep hole down the stump, or a couple of holes if it was a big tree, and filling it with coarse salt and some water. Its dead. OR, a better way. is to cut up all the wood, and pile it around the stump, and when it is dry, light the fire. At the same time u also get rid of some of the seeds.

The true magnitude of this problem is even bigger looking down from my aeroplane`s open door. There is lots of places to land here. the temptation becomes too big and I touch down on a nice, level-like-a-pool-table landing spot for a Coke and a leak. Mmmm. Yep, now I got IN here, but it seems miiiighty kinda short for gettin OUT again. My trusty 912 pull us out and up-and-away with room to spare. No warries!

What a priveledge it is to be able to fly, and gaze down apon the wonders of God`s creation, and ponder about man`s blunders!

Fly safe.

[Boet]

Between Loeriesfontein and Brandvlei are huge dry lakes. Due to some better than normal rainfall in the region, try 100mm in an afternoon, the lakes are no longer "dry" lakes. Strange thing is that the water is nowhere any deeper than about knee deep, so you can walk from one shore to the other without getting your head wet! Today started at 04h00, bright and early, nice and cool from last night`s quick rainshower. But NO wind. I enjoyed a magic carpet ride of note. Incredible how much more economic the 912 is compared to the 582. And there is this eerie smooooothness.......
Some of the farms have had some rain a bit earlier, and is covered in green grass and bushes, and the odd Prosopis tree. Seeing this vast lake of water is awesome. However, there is still some of the farms that has has NO rain at all. A bit more rain will be apreciated here, as one of the Farmers here put it: " As jou enigste Dogter se troudag hier in sy moer in reen, is ons nog steeds BLY oor die reen!" Can live with that. Drought sucks.

[Boet]

Late this afternoon I took this lovely young woman up for a sundowner flip. She is a Cancer survivor, and a fighter of note, her name is Heidi. She enjoyed the flight in the Explorer tremendously. She wants to fly again!!

[zoobie]

gee Boet

you really are making me jealous...am sitting here at the office checking out all your pictures...sigh.

keep sending more pictures....awesome stuff

cheers

Zoobie

[Boet]

May all my fellow flying hooligans enjoy peace, love, good health, many safe flying and prosper in 2013!

[Jean Crous]

Net so vir julle ook Boet !
Met al daai cheers gesiggies moet ons eintlik se , Baie drankie !
Jean.

[Boet]

Random pics taken in and around my neck of the woods! By special request from Zoobie.

[Karman]

Boet,

Hier ander manier om onder te kom

[Boet]

Nou weet ek vir wie ek moet vra as ek weer daar onder wil gaan ghoef

[Jean Crous]

Daai foto wat se " On my way to FALFTN " was sekerlik uit jou Venture geneem ,.............of hoe ?
Jean.

[Boet]

Nope....

[Boet]

So part of my Chrismas presents were 2 by 25 liters of spirit of dinosaur, so Dad can go flyabout. And flyabout I did. As normal, up and about at first sparrows this morning. Day too fantastic to waste, and I still have some fuel left, and my right knee, which I sprained rather badly while walking in the veld last weekend, is feeling better, and the pain is tolerable. My Baby is light, and eager to fly this morning. And even so early, it is already on the hot side. No need therefore to close the door. I feel at home up here, and with the door open, feel at one with the sky. Time to investigate a potential landing site I had a look at some time ago.
As I fly along, I can not help but notice the lack of any Steenbuck. There used to be LOTS of them, but since every tom, dick and harry now have a rifle, the poachers have cleaned out! The only wildlife I spot this morning is two Bat-eared Foxes, looking at the big bird, pulling their ears flat, and hiding behind a small bush. These cute little animals is completely harmless, and lives of small birds, lizards and ants. They are also becoming very rare to see.
The landing site is looking small from the air, but once I touch down, it is hopelessly too big for my little aeroplane. I walk around a bit, and spot something too white to be natural on the ground, it is a bit of porcelain, obviously from a dinner plate. Wonder how long it has been there, and who had the misfortune of breaking his dinner plate here. Snooping around some more, I spot another interesting looking sliver of rock. It is an old Bushman tool, and that too, has been here for a long long time. There is lots of Bushman artefacts to be found everywhere in this area. I notice a little green spot on the ground, and lo and behold, the little green spot has three pretty little purple flowers on it! Must be from the bit of rain that fell here recently. This part of the country never fails to amaze. Just add some water!
On the way back, I fly past a "sunlight intensity testing station". About 17 km from town, plans are made to erect a HUGE solar power station here. Might as well, because there is lots of buggerall here anyway. But sunlight enough, I`d say!
Just after touching down, my phone rings. Shaun and a couple of mates are moseying down here to come fetch "Die Engelsman' se aeroplane.
Mmmmm. Loeriesfontein International is going to be very busy today!!